Kick stand



Nov. 30, 1948. H, L, MUELLER 2,455,312

I KICK STAND Filed June 20. 1946 2 Sheetsr-Sheet l 6 I I5 C :V/

INVENTYQR.

HOMER .M E R By L U LLE ATTORNEYS Nov. w, 1948".

H. 1.. MUELLER KICK STAND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20. 1-946 INVENTOR.

HOMER L.MUELLER ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 30, 1948 KICK STAND Homer L. Mueller, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Cleveland Welding Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 20, 1945, Serial No. 678,042

(01. 2&0--3ll1) 4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in a kick stand for stably supporting a bicycle or other unstable vehicle. Kick stands in general are, of course, well known in the art and included in a majority of them is a prop which is rotatable from an inoperative out-of-the-way position to an operative vehicle supporting position, means being employed for yieldably retaining the prop in either of such positions.

It is one principal object of this invention to provide novel means for immovably mounting a kick stand on a bicycle frame to obviate the possibility of the same being jarred or vibrated out of proper relation therewith.

It is another object or" this invention to provide novel clamping means which, in addition to effecting firm clamping of the kick stand on a bicycle frame, makes provision for longitudinal adjustment of the kick stand housing so that the prop which is rotatable therein can be properly folded away to an inoperative position underneath the lower rear fork of the bicycle so as not to protrude laterally therefrom any more than necessary.

It is another object of this invention to provide a highly efiicient spring actuated stop and detent mechanism for limiting the extent of opposite movements of the prop and for yieldably holding it in either its operative or inoperative position.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the lower rear portion of a bicycle with the kick stand comprising the present invention shown in an operative position for supporting the bicycle upon slight tilting thereof from the vertical position shown;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of .a portion of the lower rear fork of a bicycle showing the kick stand in an inoperative out-of-the-way position, that is folded to a position underneath the fork as shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical cross section view of the kick stand in an operative position a-staken along the line 33 of Pig. 1, the pedals, sprocket wheel, etc. being omitted for purposes of. clarity;

Fig, {1 is an enlarged cross section view taken longitudinally and centrally through the kick ta d 'he ine i Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical cross section of the kick stand taken along line 5-5 of Fi 4;

Fig. 6 is a central horizontal cross section view of the kick stand taken along line 6-6 of Fig 4, the clamp and screw, which are disposed above such linefbeing represented by dot-dash lines Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the kick stand mounting bracket;

Fig.8 is an enlarged view of that end of the kick stand housing which includes the detent and stop recesses; and

Fig. 9 is a developed view of the recess formationjof Fig. 8 between two adjacent recesses which are engaged by one of the two projecting lugs on the prop;

R ierr n now to the drawing, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a portion of the lower rear end @of a typical bicycle which comprises two spaced apart frame members I formin the lower rear rork'of the bicycle, aid members I being disposed in a substantiallyhorizontal position as shown with a crank bearing 2 joined thereto at one end and a rear axle for a wheel 3 being secured at the other end. The crank bearing' 2 rotatably supports a crank which has thereon arms ,4, foot pedals 5 and a sprocket wheel 6 and, .as is well known, Without further explanation, propelling .of the bicycle is effected by rotation of the crank, the sprocket wheel of which is usually provided with a chain ,thereaboutin driving engagement with a sprocket wheel secured to the hub of wheel 3.

The kick stand which constitutes the present invention comprises an elongated hollow housing 1 preferably of hexagonal or other non cylindri cal exterior cross section, which has journalled therein a prop Housing 1 is firmly clamped to the bottom sides of members I and is of length suflicient not only to span the space between. them but to permit some longitudinal shifting thereof relative to the members I for a purpose which will become apparent as this description proceeds.

Inasmuch as it is desirable that the prop, when in an inoperative or romeo away position, will protrude a minimum amount laterally of the bicycle. and. when in an operative or extended position Will protrude a amount laterally of the bicycle, the iournalled ,upper end of prop .8 is bent. through an angle le ssith an and the housing {I is mounted on the bicycle frame its axis ina horizontal position but inclined relat e to e el m t a rs f ie l ea e t bi cycle frame. In this way, pro 8 will neatly fold away under the rear fork as shown in Fig. 2 and will project laterally a sufficient amount to stably support the bicycle when swung to the position shown in Fig. 3. From Fig. 2 it can be seen that by making provision for adjusting the housing I lengthwise, it can be set as desired so that the foot end 9 of prop 8 projects laterally of the bicycle frame a minimum amount.

In order to immovably lock the kick stand to the bicycle, I have devised a novel form of bracket II], by means of which the housing I is firmly held from rotating about its longitudinal axis and from rotating in a horizontal plane to respectively preclude disturbing of the limits of movement of the prop 8 relative to the bicycle, that is between the solid and dotted line positions of Fig. 1, and to assure that the prop 8 will be disposed generally parallel to members I when in the position shown in Fig. 2. Bracket I is preferably made from flat sheet stock bent to U- shape to provide spaced parallel leg portions through each of which is an opening II of cross section complementary to that of the exterior of housing I. Openings I I are coaxially arranged and the axis thereof is inclined relative to the faces of the leg portions, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The spacing of the leg portions is such that the bracket will rather closely fit in the space between frame members I. The upper section I 2 of the bracket which connects the two leg portions has a non-circular opening I3 therethrough for non-rotatably engaging the non-cylindrical shank of a T head screw I4. It is to be noted that the opposed flat surfaces of the head of screw I4 also function to prevent rotation of the screw relative to the bracket. The threaded end of screw I4 projects upwardly through the space between frame members I and extends through an opening in a clamp plate I5, which plate transversely spans the top sides of members I. Plate I5 is preferably shaped to partially conform to the cross section shape of members I so that it can be properly positioned transversely across members I. The dished shape of plate I5 renders the same very rigid and stiff so that the nut I6, which is threaded onto screw M, can be firmly drawn up without danger of causing buckling of the'plate.

Now it can be seen that when nut I6 is firmly tightened after housing I has been adjusted longitudinally as desired, housing I cannot rotate about its longitudinal axis because the flat surfaces thereof are in firm engagement with the bottom sides of members I. Likewise housing I cannot rotate in a horizontal plane because of the non-rotatable connection With bracket I0, the latter of which is non-rotatably fitted between frame members I. Thus, the housing I is firmly fixed against all movement relative to the bicycle.

Having thus described the mechanism for securing the housing I to the bicycle frame, reference will now be made to the spring actuated stop and detent mechanism for limiting movement of prop 8 between the solid and dotted line positions of Fig. 1 and for yieldingly retaining the prop in either of such positions.

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, housing I is hollow and is formed with a bore I1 and a counter-bore I8 defining a shoulder or ledge I9 therebetween. The journalled end of prop 8 is telescoped into the housing and is r-otatably supported by bore H which is of extent approximately one-half the length of the housing so as to provide a long bearing therefor. Prop 8 has two spaced enlarged portions thereon, one of which comprises a pin 20 and washer 2| and the other of which comprises a pin 22, both of said pins being of length greater than the diameter of the prop and being fitted into transverse holes drilled diametrically through prop 8. Pin 22 is preferably a drive fit with the hole in the proper, whereas pin 20 may or may not be a drive fit as desired, inasmuch as it is disposed within counter-bore I8 and the Wall thereof would retain it in place even though it were loosely fitted in the hole in the prop. The transversely projecting ends of pin 22 are constantly urged into engagement with one end of housing 'I by means of a coil spring 23 in counter-bore IB compressed between washer 2I and shoulder I9.

In order to limit rotation of the prop, as aforesaid, and to yieldably retain it in either of such positions, the end of the housing engaged by the projecting ends of pin 22 is formed with two pairs of diametrically opposed recesses 24 and 25, pair 24 being engaged by the ends of pin 22 when the prop 8 is in an inoperative position and pair 25 being engaged by the ends of pin 22 when the prop is in an operative position. To limit movement of the prop 8 beyond these positions, the actuate lands 26 between the recesses are provided with walls 21 which are normal to the plane traversed by the ends of pin 22 during rotation of the prop. On the other hand, in order to yieldably hold the prop in either of such positions, one of the walls of each of the recesses 24 and 25 is inclined relative to the plane traversed by the ends of pin 22, whereby the axial force exerted by spring 23 is translated by these inclined walls into a force tending to relatively rotate the prop and housing and thus yieldably urge the ends of pin 22 into engagement in either pair of recesses and into engagement with the normal walls 21 thereof. The lands 28 between adjacent recesses 24 and 25 are preferably offset longitudinally of the lands 26 to facilitate movement of prop 8 once the ends of pin 22 have climbed out of the recesses 24 and 25 and so that the pin ends do not excessively extend longitudinally beyond the lands 26 during swinging of the prop.

It is to be noted that the recesses 24 and 25 are spaced apart more than whereby when the prop is swung from the dotted to the solid line position in Fig. 1, it will be slightly inclined from vertical so that the weight supported thereby will result in a force component eccentric of the pivot axis of the prop which tends to rotate the prop clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1 and to urge the ends of pin 22 into firmer engagement with the stop walls 21.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A bicycle kick stand for attachment to a bicycle frame, comprising an elongated hollow housing, a prop journalled therein, and means for the adjustment of said housing and prop transversely with respect to the plane of the bicycle frame including a bracket slidably mounted on said housing and a clamp associated with said bracket for drawing said housing into engagement with a bicycle frame with said housing adjusted to a predetermined longitudinal position relative to said bracket.

2. A bicycle kick stand comprising an elongated hollow housing of non-cylindrical exterior cross section, a prop journalled within said housing, and a U-shaped bracket fitted over said housing formed with coaxial openings in the spaced leg portions thereof of cross section complementary to that of the exterior of said housing.

3. A bicycle kick stand comprising an elongated hollow housing of non-cylindrical exterior cross section, a prop journalled within said housing, and a U-shaped bracket fitted over said housing formed with coaxial openings in the spaced leg portions thereof of cross section complementary to that of the exterior of said housing, the axis of such openings being inclined relative to the planes in which such leg portions lie.

4. In a bicycle kick stand of the type comprising a housing clamped against the bottom sides of two spaced apart bicycle frame members which form the lower rear fork thereof and a prop rotatable in said housing to and from a bicycle supporting position, the combination of a housing of non-cylindrical cross-section and of length exceeding the width of the space between said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 836,303 Christensen Nov. 20, 1906 2,049,218 Miller July 28, 1936 2,395,148 Schwinn Feb. 19, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 343,573 Italy Oct. 3, 1936 562,021 France Aug. 23, 1923 

